Chapter 7 Role of Government

7 Role of government History shows that doing more of the same is simple not an option.1 Practical reconciliation 7.1 Improved employment outcomes are an important part of practical reconciliation. Reconciliation can be measured through employment indicators and Indigenous people moving from unemployment or CDEP into jobs and opportunities to develop businesses. 7.2 Evidence was mixed on the contribution of practical reconciliation to improved employment outcomes, with most submitters not directly addressing the issue. The Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research stated that it was too early to assess the effects of practical reconciliation: In our view it is too early to address this question using Australian Bureau of Statistics surveys and the National Census. Policy, particularly in this area, has long lead times and many of the changes made by the Howard Government did not occur for several years after their election in 1996 and a number of changes did not occur until after 2001 (such as Shared Responsibility Agreements). In addition, many of the effects of policy changes on labour market outcomes will take several years to occur. By the time of the 2006 Census we should be in a much better position to assess the contributions of practical reconciliation.2 7.3 On 12 July 2005, the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress stated: 1 Ms Ah Chin, Principal Advisor Indigenous Policy, Office of Commissioner for Public Employment, Transcript of Evidence, 11 July 2005, p. 20. 2 Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research, Submission No. 72, p. 5. 164 INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS AT WORK … we do not believe that practical reconciliation has achieved enough to be claiming ‘wins’ on its scorecard for Indigenous employment yet.3 7.4 Tangentyere Council submitted that they excluded the topic because it was not clear how practical reconciliation had added to the provision of essential services.4 Reconciliation is not about becoming white men, but sensitively accommodating cultural differences in a supportive and cognizant kind of way. In this manner I see that management has a significant role to play in that transition and I found great mutual respect was gained and significant support was forthcoming from the employee as a result.5 7.5 Funds provided for services and programs for Indigenous people are largely essential services and the contribution of practical reconciliation can not be identified separately.6 Our responsibility is to harness the capacity of government, whether it is mainstream programs or Indigenous specific programs, to ensure that they are working far better for the Indigenous client group that they are servicing.7 7.6 In contrast to other submitters, the Office of Indigenous Policy Coordination responded to the Committee’s questions about the impact of practical reconciliation very positively pointing out that the unemployment rate for Indigenous people has fallen: The strength of the economy, as well as targeted assistance through the Job Network and the Indigenous Employment Program, would have contributed to these changes.8 3 Central Australian Aboriginal Congress Inc, Submission No. 101, p. 3. 4 Tangentyere Council, Submission No. 69, p. 3. 5 Shire of Trayning, Submission No. 22, p. 1. 6 Tangentyere Council, Submission No. 69, p. 3. 7 Mr Bernie Yates, Deputy Secretary, Office of Indigenous Policy Coordination, Transcript of Evidence, 22 May 2006, p. 19. 8 Office of Indigenous Policy Coordination, Submission No. 73a, pp. 4-5. ROLE OF GOVERNMENT 165 More effective service delivery 7.7 The National Framework of Principles for Delivering Services to Indigenous Australians is based on shared responsibility, involving mainstream, streamlining service delivery, establishing transparency and accountability, developing a learning framework and focusing on priority areas.9 The recent review of the COAG trials found that there was a better understanding among officials ‘of how the way in which governments deliver programs can contribute to lack of ownership and action by communities’.10 7.8 It appears that many features of the previous system have continued in the Indigenous Coordination Centres. In relation to the lack of awareness in the broader community of the work of the ICCs, the Office of Indigenous Policy Coordination commented that: We are not focusing too heavily on promoting the architecture or the formalities of the system. We are more concerned about what the impact is locally for people and whether our colleagues in other departments and in other governments are coming on board in terms of changing the way they are doing business. Our Indigenous Coordination Centres are slowly building their profile. People have heard about the abolition of ATSIC. They have noticed that a lot of services are still continuing. To the extent that they want to engage with Indigenous Coordination Centres around shared responsibility agreements, for example, that is slowly building. We are up to around 160 agreements. It is a big transition. We did not just stop everything and say: ‘As of now, no longer will we be engaging with you in the old ways, all those programs and services will stop and, as we get around to talking with you, then we will start the ball rolling.’ That was not feasible. So it is an evolution in terms of the implementation.11 7.9 In relation to the lack of awareness in the Public Service of the work of the ICCs, the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations commented that: 9 Office of Indigenous Policy Coordination, Submission No. 73, p. 6. 10 Synopsis Review of the COAG Trial Evaluations; Report to the Office of Indigenous Policy Coordination, Morgan Disney & Associates Pty Ltd, Tracey Whetnall Consulting and Wis-Wei Consulting Pty Ltd, November 2006, p. 5. 11 Mr Bernie Yates, Deputy Secretary, Office of Indigenous Policy Coordination, Transcript of Evidence, 22 May 2006, p. 20. 166 INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS AT WORK Generally people across the Public Service will be aware of the directions because there are a lot of meetings across government about the directions that are occurring. Individually the head of the tourism division may not, but we have engaged with that group, for example, around the tourism strategies in Indigenous employment. … I probably do not know all the committees and structures that operate through the tourism department. I have a good idea, but if you asked me I probably would know about tourism because we have paid particular attention to it, but I would not know of all the structures that each individual agency operates. People can be excused if they do not always know, but I know that we work with that agency.12 Whole-of-community, whole-of-government and whole of industry approach … whole-of-community, whole-of-government, and whole-of-industry, founded in mutual respect and the recognition of Indigenous Australians’ rights in law, interests and special connections to lands and waters in Australia.13 7.10 The Office of Indigenous Policy Coordination stated that the whole-of- government approach, through COAG trials and negotiating arrangements between governments and with communities is about bringing the ‘disparate elements into some coherence’.14 The five principles underpinning the new arrangements are collaboration, regional need, flexibility, accountability and leadership.15 …despite some cynicism at the outset, all partners believed that other partners engaged with the Trial Process in a spirit of genuine commitment and good faith.16 12 Mr Bob Harvey, Group Manager, Indigenous Employment and Business Group, Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, Transcript of Evidence, 22 May 2006, p. 5. 13 Mr Mitchell Hooke, Chief Executive Officer, Minerals Council of Australia, Transcript of Evidence, 27 February 2006, p. 1. 14 Mr Wayne Gibbons, Associate Secretary, Office of Indigenous Policy Coordination, Transcript of Evidence, 30 May 2005, p. 23. 15 Office of Indigenous Policy Coordination, Submission No. 73, p. 4. 16 Synopsis Review of the COAG Trial Evaluations; Report to the Office of Indigenous Policy Coordination, Morgan Disney & Associates Pty Ltd, Tracey Whetnall Consulting and Wis-Wei Consulting Pty Ltd, November 2006, p. 5. ROLE OF GOVERNMENT 167 7.11 There has been enhanced cooperation between the States and Federal public services.17 While the whole-of government rhetoric is not new, there has been a culture change within the bureaucracy: That is a bigger challenge, I suggest, than communities. It is led at the top ... And, starting from the next budget, the budget process will be informed by an evaluation of what is working and what is not working. That has not been tried before in a whole-of- government context. It is still early days but there is no doubting the commitment and determination of the political and the administrative leadership to try and make change here.18 7.12 The Office of Indigenous Policy Coordination commented that it was: … very encouraged by the seriousness of the commitment to get together with us and sort out these issues. That means that if you are working in a community where this is in place—instead of 40 or 50 sometimes programs being delivered by 20 or 30 agencies without any reference to each other, with 40 or 50 different agreements and accounting obligations, and programs designed in Brisbane, Canberra or Perth and fitting the community into those programs—we are able to say: ‘Well, forget our programs. We have got a combined resource’.19 7.13 The Central Land Council made the point that: What we have identified recently is that there is a lot of goodwill. There is a lot of discussion about partnerships. There is a lot of direction being given to both Northern Territory and Commonwealth agencies to get out and get involved with Aboriginal communities. It is creating a bit of mayhem in a way, with people tripping over one another.

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